La storia di impegno familiare arcano
by LittleMissWolfie
Summary: The title is supposed to look like that. Mondo has announced his intention to retire and has already decided on his heir. However, there's a catch: If someone challenges Nova and beats him, they get Felicitá instead.


Chapter One

"Milady!" whined Luca behind me, making me turn on my heel to face him. The ring bounced against my chest under my shirt. "We need to get you ready for the party tonight!" His blue-purple eyes were pleading as he said this, making me roll my own light green ones.

"I _will_ get ready, once my rounds are finished," I said defiantly, crossing my arms over my chest. I gestured to the rest of my men to continue walking with me before he could respond.

I heard him mumble quietly, "But you need to get dressed…"

Before I could snap at him, I heard the screeching of tires. My team and I crouched in our fighting stances as a green car sped towards us on the cobblestone streets of Regalo and some of the men stepped in front of me protectively. Above me, I heard a familiar voice shout, "Found you!" and Libertá, one of the other two family members my age, jumped from a nearby rooftop. He landed on the car dangerously just as the other member, Nova stepped around a corner, muttering about what an idiot Libertá was.

"Nova," I called, alerting him to my presence. He turned quickly, blue hair and eyes both glinting, and I could have sworn I saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Felicitá," he returned, his face morphing to a business-like one that seemed all at once foreign and natural on him.

"Don't move, Libertá!" called another member of the family, Debito, as he pulled his revolvers from their holsters and began shooting at the car. The people—smugglers, Nova informed me quietly, lost their guns and partial control of their car, and a few fell out of it, leaving only Libertá and the driver.

Another booming voice cut through the afternoon air: "Jump, Libertá!"

"Yes, Dante!" Libertá shouted back, obeying his mentor and leaping off of the car just as the seaman pulled the trigger on his large, bazooka-like gun. The car exploded in fiery chaos, and Libertá was caught in mid-air by Pace, who had obviously just returned from lunch. I could smell the garlic from where I stood, a good ten yards away.

Luca, Nova, and I chased the driver through the crowd, and Luca cut him off, his knives glinting dangerously in his hand. Unable to find a way out, he decided to go through the (supposedly) weakest link—me. He rushed me, and just as I was about to throw my knives, his clothes were shredded, leaving only his dignity hurt by Nova's katana. "I…surrender," he gasped, falling to the stone ground.

Our people cheered jovially, and Dante moved next to me, his tan, bald head shining blindingly in the clear afternoon sun. "And that settles that," he said triumphantly.

"Dante, what are we going to do about the car?" I asked, pointing to the fiery mess. Nova just groaned and covered his face with his palm.

We regrouped and began walking in the same pattern as a flock flies through the sky, with me at the point and Libertá and Nova flanking me, back to the mansion.

* * *

"Milady, you _can't_ go out like that!" protested one of my maids, holding a ridiculously puffy red dress in her hands almost mournfully.

"You mustn't!" cried another, holding one much too pastel for my liking.

"This isn't just some ordinary party," said the last one, holding a dress that looked like a harlot's.

A knock came at my door, saving me. "Milady," Luca called, "everyone is waiting for you."

I opened the door, and Luca's bright face fell as he took in my appearance. I was wearing what I usually wore—a black dress jacket over a white dress shirt and black tie with my pin on it, one white glove, a short skirt, thigh-high black socks, and tall, high heeled black boots. My red hair was tied back with two black ribbons.

"M-Milady!" he protested.

"What's the matter, Luca?" I asked sweetly, cocking my head to the side.

His hands started an odd motion as he said. "You're not attending the party in those clothes, are you?"

"Yeah."

He leapt back with such force that his fedora was temporarily separated from his black hair. "You mustn't!" he said, echoing my maids. "Today is—"

"Papa's birthday, right?" I interrupted. I turned back to my room and called, "Let's go, Fukulota." My owl obediently flew out to me and easily kept my pace as I ran to the ballroom. Once I was out of sight, I put my hand to my chest, taking comfort in the outline of the ring against my fingers.

When we got there, Pace was eating furiously as both he and Debito gazed at me with confused eyes. "What are you wearing, Bambina?" demanded Debito, his single eye glinting playfully.

Pace informed me, "We were all looking forward to seeing you in a dress."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I demanded, getting annoyed. Why was everyone so insistent on my dressing up?

"Luca, do your job as her attendant!" Debito wailed angrily.

"Yeah!" agreed Pace, glasses glared over. "It's bad enough that we're constantly surrounded by just guys!"

Luca actually started crying. "But I…But I wanted her to wear a dress, too!"

"However," Nova said, making me turn towards him, "If something were to happen, it's probably better for her to be wearing something less restrictive than a dress." I flashed him a grateful look, which his cheeks slightly tinted red at.

Debito made a sound of agreement. "You've got a point," he said. I relaxed until I heard the rest of his speech: "It's easier to admire Bambina's long, beautiful legs with what she's got on now." He threw his arm around Nova's shoulder, and he glared at the older man. "Do you have a leg fetish, shorty? You and I might just agree on something."

"How stupid," snapped Nova, brushing the hermit's arm off. He then turned to me, and, without warning, I felt a semi-familiar pulse go through my body. **In his mind, I was standing there, wearing an intricately patterned kimono. ** I flushed and looked away.

Nova was about to say something, but was interrupted by Libertá. "Huh? You're not wearing a dress, Princess?" he asked, loping over casually. I pulsed again. **In Libertá's mind, I was in old-timed undergarments, trying to decide on a dress to wear. **My face turned red—partly in embarrassment, partly in anger, and I took a great interest in the floor. "What's wrong?" he asked, leaning down to try to see my face. In response, I kicked him in the chest as hard as I could, sending him sprawling to the floor. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, as I moved towards him again. I simply unsheathed my knives and glared hard at him. "W-What the hell did I do, Princess?" he stammered.

I heard Jolly chuckle as he advanced towards us. "It's because you were thinking bad things."

Libertá vaulted off the ground and glared at Jolly. "What do you mean, 'bad things?'"

Jolly said in a greater-than-thou tone, "Milady made a deal with the sixth card, Gli Amanti: the Lovers. Her Arcana power is to read people's hearts."

Libertá finally seemed to understand. "Then…" He looked to me, and I humphed, looking away. I heard him gulp.

"But I just saw it by chance," I said quietly.

"The reason you don't have control over your powers yet, Milady," Jolly said, moving much too close to comfort to me, "is because you're still a child."

Suddenly, Nova was next to us, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Don't touch Fel," he said dangerously. Jolly scoffed and strode away.

Luca, also next to me, pondered, "She read Libertá's heart?" He furiously turned to my stupid, blond friend and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Does that mean you were thinking of Milady in unbecoming ways?! Because, you know, she's already en—"

I kicked Luca hard, sending him flying into a pillar. "My apologies, Milady," he wheezed.

"My condolences," Debito said sarcastically.

Nova cupped a hand over his mouth and leaned in close. "He'll find out eventually, you know," he whispered in my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at his close proximity.

I whispered back, "I don't want him to make a scene. It's Papa's birthday, and he should be able to enjoy it in relative peace." Nova made a sound of agreement and leaned away.

"Hey, Dante's going to give his greeting," Pace alerted, making all of our heads snap forward.

Dante strode onto the landing and bowed jokingly. "Gentlemen, I would like to thank everyone for showing up despite your busy schedules, for the sake of our Arcana Famiglia's Papa, Mondo. We would like to start with a word from Papa."

My parents, the Papa and Mama of the family, descended gracefully to us, Papa smiling all the way and shouting words of gratitude to the various family members. When he finally stopped moving, he started his speech. "Gentlemen, thank you for gathering today," he said in his loud, booming voice. "I am celebrating my fifty-ninth birthday today. The reason I have gotten this far is because of all of you. Our Regalo Island has overcome many hardships. Raids from smugglers, occupation from foreign countries, lack of goods, oppression from a tyrant, epidemics… Once you start counting, there's no end. But we were able to overcome all of this with our familial bond, and with our Arcana powers." Suddenly, his face got even more serious. "But I've gotten to that age. I'm starting to think about retirement."

Shouts of disapproval resounded in the hall, and my eyes widened. Papa, retired? I couldn't fathom the idea. Nova beside me also took a sharp intake of breath. "Therefore," Papa continued, "I need someone to be my heir." I buried my head in my hands. _No, Papa!_ "Normally, I would have hosted an event called the Arcana Duello to decide who had the strongest Arcana powers. The victor would receive my title, one wish, and marry my daughter, Felicitá." There was a slight uproar from some members of the crowd at the last point; put Papa raised a hand, silencing them. "However, I already have an heir. You two, come up here!"

Nova and I looked at each other, and he nodded. We strode to my parents, much to the surprise of most everyone but Luca. Papa put a hand on our shoulders and pushed us together. "Few of you here know this, but, from the age of six, Nova and Felicitá have been engaged!"

This time, there really _was_ uproar. Shouts rebounded in the tiled room, making everything sound ten times louder than it really was. Nova tapped my chest, and I pulled the chain and the pale green ring out from under my shirt. He unclasped the chain and slid the ring off, sliding my glove off.

Suddenly, Libertá's voice rose over all the shouting. "The hell do you mean, engaged?"

Nova paused and glared in his general direction. All noise stopped. "It means we're going to get married, Libertá. Even a fool like you can understand that, right?"

"Nova," I quietly reprimanded. I turned to the crowd and spoke up, voice loud and confident. "I've known about this almost my whole life. If I had any objections, I would have said so. The same goes for Nova." He nodded in agreement and slid the ring onto my finger.

Papa laughed loudly. "And there you have it! These two will get married in two months, on one condition."

Nova and I both started, staring at Papa in wonder. "What do you mean, condition?" I asked him.

"If someone in the family challenges Nova and wins, he will automatically forfeit his engagement to you and you will immediately marry the victor."

"What?" Nova and I demanded in unison, and he dropped my hand. He continued, "What do you mean, Papa? This is a ten year old agreement! One of the only definite things in my world is that Fel and I would become Mama and Papa! I won't let that be taken away from me!"

I felt my eyes tear up slightly. "Nova…"

Papa let out another booming laugh. "Well then, don't lose!" He then projected his voice to the rest of the family. "Don't let my announcement ruin your night! Eat and drink, but be sure to get back to your duties in the morning!"

As if nothing happened, the party went on, and some of the senior members began drinking and loudly arguing as usual. I, however, detached myself from the crowd and slipped into the courtyard, sitting on the fountain Papa had carved to my likeness. The pale green of the ring was a bit foreign on my finger, but not in a bad way. I sighed.

"When were you gonna tell me?" Libertá asked. My head shot up and I saw the hurt look in his eyes.

"Libertá, I was going to. I really was. I was just waiting for a good time." I looked back at the ring and smiled softly. "I've known about this almost my whole life. It wasn't my idea to keep it a secret—Luca said people would see me differently if they knew I was going to get married soon."

"Do you even like him?" he exclaimed angrily. "I mean _really_ like him?"

"Yes, I do!" I snapped, standing. "I've liked him ever since we were children and he said my limone pie tasted good! You don't know enough about our relationship to be making assumptions, Libertá!"

"What relationship? The one your parents set up for you? That's _not_ a relationship, Princess—that's, like the chickpea said in there, an _arrangement._ No normal relationship starts when you're six!" His hand shot out and his fingers encircled my wrist. "Does Nova want this?"

Before I could answer, I heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. "Let go of her," Nova said, pointing the tip of his katana at Libertá. He released my hand, and I backed up closer to Nova. "And, to answer your question, yes, I do want this. Even if I didn't, it's none of your concern. It's between Fel and me. And don't call me chickpea." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and looked at me. "I'll walk you to your room."

I nodded. "Thank you, Nova. Good night, Libertá." With that, Nova and I walked back inside the mansion.

* * *

_So, here it is. I'm honestly surprised no one else thought of it! In case you haven't caught on, this is what I think would've happened during the series if Nova hadn't returned the ring to Mondo after he put his parents to sleep._

_I really hope you guys like this. Normally I'd be doing my AN in bold, but since the text when Fel sees into peoples' hearts is bold, I thought it would confuse some people. I will continue this, obviously, but I'm a little more invested in my ongoing series of Harvest Moon multichaps. If any of you are fans, please check it out._

_Please review. It really does help to know what people think of this._


End file.
